Tavern Roundup + Watching this Weekend (10-26/27)

*Watch this space for more details on some of these matches from the Tavern owner*

Jae’s Watching this Weekend Match

FC Seoul vs Guangzhou Evergrande

There were some fears that this match may have been a bit dull. Either because both sides would be very cautious in a two-legged tie, or because Guangzhou would overpower a Seoul-side that was suffering a bit from poor form, suspensions, and injuries. However, neither proved to be true, with Seoul and Guangzhou providing a thoroughly entertaining match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Guangzhou sent out their strongest XI, which is basically half of the Chinese national team plus four talented foreigners, including Korean international Kim Young-Gwon. Seoul put out a quality side, but with a small reshuffle in the backline to accommodate the suspension of Cha Du-Ri. Since they’ve already done it quite well, check out Soccerway’s page on the game, to see the formation and exact starting line ups.

The game started out fast, and largely set the pace (for the first half at least). Guangzhou dominated proceedings from the go. Seoul had trouble dealing with Guangzhou’s pressure, and routinely coughed up possession quickly. Despite that, Guangzhou wasn’t creating too many clear chances, and indeed Seoul made them pay. A quickly taken free kick saw the Guangzhou defense go to sleep, and Escudero, the strange player with Argentinian parents, who was born in Spain, but is a Japanese international, scored to put the hosts up 1-0.

The goal seemed to shock the visitors, and provide maybe a bit too much comfort to the hosts. Guangzhou started to really control the game, with Seoul sitting far too deep for my comfort. Eventually it paid off, and Guangzhou got a much deserved equalizer. The Brazilian Elkeson was the scorer from a set piece. The Seoul defense switching off for just a moment. Seoul captain Ha Dae-Sung just for a moment letting Elkeson get a step away from him. Guangzhou continued to press forward for the go ahead goal, but couldn’t find it before the break.

Those concerns of a Guangzhou blow out, crept back in as the second half began. Memories of their prior knockout tie away legs against Kashiwa Reysol and Lekhwiya, where Guangzhou went down a goal first, but then stormed back to win 4-1. Seoul continued to sit a bit deep at the beginning of the second half, but gradually started to play more. But then, another defensive lapse cost the side. A cross from Huang Bowen wasn’t properly dealt with by Kim Ju-Young, who was only able to pop it up across the face of goal. Sun Xiang drilled the ball back in, and Gao Lin got a foot on it to redirect it into goal. Kim’s centerback partner, Kim Jin-Kyu was caught ball watching, and had let Gao Lin go unmarked.

That led to an exciting last 30 minutes of the match. Guangzhou looked for the killer third goal, while Seoul desperately needed at least a draw to take into China in two weeks time. It was up and down stuff with both teams having some chances. A second goal would come, and it was Seoul’s star man, Dejan Damjanovic, who tied things up. Escudero, who was probably Seoul’s best player, pulled the ball back from the wing, Dejan controlled and managed to keep his balance just enough to shoot past Zeng Cheng. Seoul almost managed to get the winner as Dejan had one more chance to score right at the end, but couldn’t quite finish. The match ended 2-2.

Overall, it was a very exciting match, and certainly a wonderful advert for Asian football. It was positive, attacking football from both sides (at least in the second half), and there was no real animosity from either side. No one displayed poor sportsmanship, there was no pushing and shoving, no diving, or cynical play. In short, it was not just a wonderful advert for Asian football, but a wonderful advert for football in general. The result will certainly suit Guangzhou, who will feel confident about getting a result in two weeks time, but Seoul will feel they have the quality to put a scare into their Chinese hosts as well.

K League Classic

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Gyeongnam

9

2

Gangwon

9

3

Pohang Steelers

7

4

Jeonbuk Motors

6

5

Suwon Bluewings

4

6

Incheon United

4

7

Jeju United

4

8

Jeonnam Dragons

3

9

Sangju Sangmu

3

10

Seoul

1

11

Daegu

1

12

Ulsan

0

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

March 18, 2018

Suwon Bluewings

1 - 1

Pohang Steelers

Ulsan

0 - 1

Jeju United

Jeonbuk Motors

2 - 1

Seoul

March 17, 2018

Jeonnam Dragons

1 - 3

Gyeongnam

Gangwon

2 - 1

Sangju Sangmu

Incheon United

0 - 0

Daegu

English Premier League

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Manchester City

81

2

Manchester United

65

3

Liverpool

63

4

Tottenham Hotspur

61

5

Chelsea

56

6

Arsenal

48

7

Burnley

43

8

Leicester City

40

9

Everton

40

10

AFC Bournemouth

36

11

Watford

36

12

Brighton & Hov…

34

13

Newcastle United

32

14

Swansea City

31

15

Huddersfield Town

31

16

Crystal Palace

30

17

West Ham United

30

18

Southampton

28

19

Stoke City

27

20

West Bromwich Albion

20

Hwang Heechan

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Red Bull Salzburg

62

Bundesliga

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Bayern München

66

2

Schalke 04

49

3

Borussia Dortmund

48

4

Eintracht Frankfurt

45

5

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

44

6

RB Leipzig

43

7

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

39

8

Stuttgart

37

9

Borussia Mönchengladbach

36

10

Augsburg 1907

35

11

Hertha BSC

35

12

Werder Bremen

33

13

Hannover 96

32

14

SC Freiburg

30

15

Wolfsburg

25

16

1. FSV Mainz 05

25

17

1. FC Köln

20

18

Hamburger SV

18

Kwon Changhoon

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

10

Dijon

38

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